Mike La Rosa (born February 25, 1982) is a
Republican politician from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He was a member of the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
from 2012 to 2020, representing the 42nd District, which includes parts of
Osceola County around
St. Cloud and eastern
Polk County.
History
La Rosa was born in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, and attended the
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
, where he graduated with a degree in interpersonal communication in 2002. After graduation, he formed La Rosa Development and La Rosa Realty with his brother, Joseph La Rosa.
Florida House of Representatives
In 2012, incumbent
Republican State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
Mike Horner was seeking re-election, but he resigned from the House on September 24, 2012, after he was implicated during an investigation of a prostitution ring in
Central Florida
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...
. On September 29, La Rosa was named as Horner's replacement in the newly created 42nd District, but because state law prevented changes in the ballot so close to the election, Horner's name, and not La Rosa's, was printed on the ballots. A contentious election ensued, with La Rosa squaring off against the
Democratic nominee, Eileen Game. The ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' endorsed La Rosa, despite the fact that he was "hard to pin down on specifics...because he's still learning about them," because Game lived outside the district and had declared bankruptcy.
In the end, La Rosa narrowly edged out Game to win his first term, defeating her with 50.4% of the vote and by 529 votes.
La Rosa was term-limited from the House in 2020, after serving four terms.
See also
*
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
References
External links
Florida House of Representatives - Mike La RosaLa Rosa for State House
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Rosa, Mike
1982 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
American politicians of Cuban descent
21st-century American politicians